Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Your latest Cowboys injury news. It’s very early in the season, but after the statement the Dallas Cowboys made against the Cleveland Browns in the season opener, the team has to feel good about themselves. The defense was dominant under the direction of new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, and the rookies along the offensive line held up well against a potent Browns defense. However, as the Cowboys begin their week of preparation for the New Orleans Saints this weekend, the status of one of their best playmakers is unknown. Jake Ferguson left the game in Cleveland with a knee injury, and the severity of his injury is still unclear. Here’s what we know thus far about Ferguson’s availability at practice along with the other Cowboys. Wednesday’s #Saints vs. Cowboys injury report: pic.twitter.com/unQdlvWvhC — Tina Howell (@TinaHowellNOLA) September 11, 2024 Ferguson sat out of practice with his knee injury and was listed as a DNP. Eric Kendricks, who made a timely interception against Cleveland, was limited on Wednesday, as he, Brandin Cooks, Demarcus Lawrence, and Zack Martin, were given a lighter load for rest. John Stephens, who could see playing time if Ferguson is unable to play, was held out of practice but he did some work off to the side as he recovers from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the season opener. Marshawn Kneeland did also not practice today with a calf injury. We’ll learn more about the severity of the injury as the week progresses. The Saints have a lengthy injury report. Star cornerback Marshon Lattimore did not practice Wednesday, tending to a hamstring injury. Ditto for Tyrann Mathieu, who sat with a heel injury. Receivers AT Perry (hand) and Rashid Shaheed (finger) practiced fully today. Linebacker D’Marco Jackson did not practice due to a calf injury of his own.
Cowboys rework the contract of RT Terence Steele, open up $4.5 million in cap space
Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images The Cowboys freed up some salary cap space this week. The Dallas Cowboys have been busy securing long-term deals with Dak Prescott and his biggest weapon, CeeDee Lamb. That also added more salary cap space for Dallas, and they put more into that pot on Tuesday. Per Todd Archer of ESPN, the Cowboys have reworked the deal of right tackle Terence Steele to give the team $4.5 million in additional cap space. The Cowboys have reworked the contract of right tackle Terence Steele, opening up $4.5 million in salary cap space. Add that to cap space saved on Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb contracts this year to the money that will most likely be carried over to 2025 ($20m+) — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 11, 2024 Dallas has some prime-time players who will be up for new deals soon. Most noticeably, of course, is All-Pro edge Micah Parsons. There’s also cornerback DaRon Bland as well, who has risen to All-Pro status himself. So, the Cowboys need all the extra funds they can get. The Cowboys could carry that money over to 2025, or they could use some of that extra money to possibly look at another veteran if they feel there are still some holes on the roster. Nonetheless, Dallas is certainly planning for the future with this move.
Cowboys, Eagles take unsurprising lead in NFC East
Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images Everything went pretty chalk across the NFC East in Week 1. Surprise, surprise; the Cowboys and Eagles are winners while the Commanders and Giants are losers. If you didn’t already know that going into the 2024 season, Week 1 was a good reminder about who runs the NFC East. We’re being facetious here, but only to a point. Everyone from oddsmakers to most casual fans had Dallas or Philadelphia winning the division this season. That hardly happens after one week, but a look at the standings today feels like it sets the tone for the rest of the year. Here are the NFC East standings after Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles 1-0 (0-0 in division, 1-0 vs NFC) Dallas Cowboys 1-0 (0-0, 0-0) New York Giants 0-1 (0-0, 0-1) Washington Commanders 0-1 (0-0, 0-1) We hate to admit it, but Philly had one of the most impressive wins of the week on their Brazilian vacation. Green Bay came into 2024 with a lot of buzz and the Eagles used that platform to remind everyone they’re still one of the NFC’s best teams. The offseason pickup of Saquon Barkley looked brilliant as he took a lot of pressure off Jalen Hurts. It’s a good thing that Dallas and Philadelphia’s first meeting isn’t until November, allowing plenty of time and film for Mike Zimmer to study the enemy. Washington’s road loss to Tampa Bay wasn’t surprising but the way Dan Quinn’s defense got handled was. The Commanders’ best chance this season was if the defense could be strong and help protect their rookie quarterback. But Jayden Daniels actually looked more competent than the other side of the ball, which is a recipe for disaster. This is clearly still a rebuilding team and they may not have the right coach for that project. From bad to worse, let’s talk about the Giants. Getting trounced at home by a Sam Darnold-led Vikings team should probably be the end for Daniel Jones, but New York’s hardly competing with Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito at quarterback. This team is fundamentally broken and may already be thinking about their race to the bottom with Carolina. Yes, Week 1 is often full of fool’s gold. Teams who rested starters in the preseason may be working out rust and new coaches may still be trying to get everyone on the same page. But allowing for that, we went into 2024 knowing full well who the Haves and the Have Nots are in the NFC East. The season-openers only validated the common-sense belief that this is a two-horse race between the Cowboys and Eagles.
The best Cowboys players from Week 1, according to PFF
Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK Last week was a prosperous one for the Cowboys. Week 1 is in the books, and the Cowboys got away with a very strong win over the Browns despite being the underdog. It was a showcase for the defense and special teams en route to a 33-17 blowout, so it’s not surprising to see lots of defenders coming away with high grades from Pro Football Focus. Let’s take a look. Few offensive fireworks, but the job got done It was not the best day for the Cowboys offense, especially relative to what they did last year with Mike McCarthy calling plays. That said, it was fairly apparent that the gameplan was impacted by the vaunted defense they were facing. Even so, the offense managed to move the ball well enough to score quite a lot of points. WR CeeDee Lamb – 68.6 CeeDee Lamb was, by far, the Cowboys’ most productive skill player in this game; he caught five passes for 61 yards and also ran for 25 yards on three jet sweep plays. Even still, Lamb’s grade is just pedestrian, a reflection of the “good, not great” day the entire offense had. LG Tyler Smith – 77.3 The highest-graded player on the offense in Week 1 was Tyler Smith, a positive sign for the guard coming off his first All-Pro selection. He was flawless in pass protection and was his usual self in the run game, moving people and opening up holes. Dallas had some of their best run plays when going behind Smith. RT Terence Steele – 67.9 For all of the attention that was on Tyler Guyton heading into this game, Terence Steele deserves some talk after this game. Steele had to go up against both Myles Garrett and ZaDarius Smith throughout this game, and he answered the call, giving up just one pressure on the day. Steele, like Smith, also looked great in the run game; he actually edged Smith out for the top run blocking grade on the offensive line with a 71.8 grade. C Cooper Beebe – 67.8 Praise is being directed Guyton’s way, and rightfully so, for only giving up a sack and two pressures against Garrett; however, his fellow rookie Cooper Beebe had an even better NFL debut. Beebe posted a goose-egg in the pressure column, one of just three rookie linemen to do that across the NFL, and also looked good in run blocking despite going against a savvy veteran run-stuffer in Dalvin Tomlinson. Cowboys rookie Cooper Beebe ranked 16th among centers in pass block win rate and 2nd in run block win rate. (ESPN Analytics / NFL Next Gen Stats) — Seth Walder (@SethWalder) September 10, 2024 Defense dominated on every level The first game under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was a resounding success. The pass rush was harassing Deshaun Watson all game, the secondary made everything a challenge, and even the run defense looked good. Hopefully this is just a taste of what’s to come. EDGE Micah Parsons – 75.8 Breaking news: Micah Parsons is still Micah Parsons. The versatile edge rusher lined up all over the place on Sunday and wreaked havoc on the Browns offense. He posted 11 pressures, most in the NFL in Week 1, and came away with one sack. Parsons also batted a pass in the air that resulted in a pick for Eric Kendricks. LB DeMarvion Overshown – 88.6 Nobody came away with a better grade on defense than DeMarvion Overshown. He finally made his NFL debut after missing all of last year with an injury. The wait was worth it, too, as Overshown was flying around on the field. He led the team in tackles with 11, recorded six run stops, and generated a pressure on both of his blitzes with a sack on one of them. Overshown showed himself to be a weapon in Mike Zimmer’s defense. LB Damone Clark – 77.1 Overshown wasn’t the only linebacker to have a great day. Damone Clark, who had some uneven play last season, came in as the third-best graded defender in this game. He only had four tackles, but two of them went down as a run stop. More importantly, Clark forced an incompletion on his lone target, showing improvement in his biggest area of weakness last year. CB Jourdan Lewis – 81.1 The most overlooked cornerback on this defense won’t be overlooked anymore. Jourdan Lewis was seemingly all over the field on Sunday, posting five tackles and looking physical as ever against the run. He saw two blitz calls on the day, though both plays saw the quarterback get the ball out quickly. Still, it was a sign of what’s to come for Lewis in this defense. Lewis also posted the top coverage grade for the Cowboys, an achievement given how few open lanes there were for Cleveland in this one. CB Trevon Diggs – 76.4 Trevon Diggs’ return from an injury was a triumphant one. Physically speaking, he didn’t look bothered in the slightest. Still, Diggs was targeted nine times in the game, giving up just five completions. He forced two incompletions and had two pass breakups, in addition to snagging an interception. Diggs also displayed an uptick in physicality against the run, a positive sign of growth for the star corner.
Star Points: Cowboys’ Lamb had no interest in playing without Dak, Zimmer’s Week 1 stroke of genius, Dallas climbs power rankings
Jerry Jones: When Cowboys have had NFL’s highest-paid player, ‘we’ve won Super Bowls’ :: Dallas Morning News Link Jones put Prescott’s new megacontract in a unique perspective, hoping that history repeats itself. “I will say this: any time that we’ve ever made players the highest-paid player — key players, such as Troy Aikman, the highest-paid player in the game — we’ve won Super Bowls.” CeeDee Lamb never had interest in playing without Dak Prescott :: SI.com Link The wide receiver told Kay Adams on her show that he didn’t want to start over with a new quarterback or go through a quarterback carousel. Lamb says he and Prescott stayed in contact throughout his own contract negotiations, and he was relieved that both of them have been locked in for the foreseeable future. Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb offers advice for Ja’Marr Chase and his contract saga :: SI.com Link Lamb says he would not have played for the Cowboys in Week 1 had his new extension not come through. But he says Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase is playing it right and should “keep working, keep grinding,” even without a new deal of his own. Chase rolled out a six-catch performance against New England and said last week he’s willing to play the rest of the season with or without an extension. If We’re Being Honest: Cowboys offense was actually awful for half of Week 1 win :: Cowboys Wire Link Lost in the excitement of a convincing win was the fact the Cowboys offense didn’t convert a single third down after halftime and moved the ball just 49 yards in the final 30 minutes of play. McCarthy spoke of the sloppiness that often comes with September football, but Dak Prescott & Co. probably can’t afford to wait until October to ramp up to full strength. Jake Ferguson injury opens door for out-the-box plan centered around under-the-radar UDFA :: Cowboys Wire Link If the tight end has to miss time with his MCL sprain, there’s nothing that says the Cowboys have to use another tight end to pick up all the slack. McCarthy says fullback Hunter Luepke is “at the front of the line.” Of Luepke’s 45 snaps in Week 1, only eight came out of the backfield. The bulk of his snaps on offense actually came as an inline TE, allowing the offense to be in either 12 or 21 personnel any time he’s on the field. Ezekiel Elliott emotional after first TD following reunion with Cowboys, feels rejuvenated :: The Mothership Link From the hurdled defender to start the game to the short yardage touchdown to catching the ball out of the backfield to his rabid willingness to protect Dak Prescott — Elliott cooked on Sunday. “It felt good to be back out there with the Star on my helmet,” said two-time All-Pro. “Great team win. Wish the offense could have finished stronger at the end, but it’s always great to get that first away win and let’s keep building on that.” ‘What a kick’: Inside the sequence that scrapped 71-yard FG try by Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey :: Cowboys Wire Link John Fassel blamed a late switch of footballs and a last-second substitution by the Browns for the delay of game penalty that wiped out Aubrey’s 66-yard field goal Sunday. With the try moved back five yards, both Fassel and Mike McCarthy had flashbacks to field goals that were returned against them earlier in their careers and opted to wave off an NFL-record 71-yard attempt. Aubrey called the decision “the right call” based on the conditions in the stadium, but he said he’d love the chance to go for one from 70-plus someday. Soak up Week 1’s Sounds from the Sideline :: Dallas Cowboys Cowboys’ Parsons, Lawrence continue troubling identity, still leaving meat on the bone :: Cowboys Wire Link The edge rushers combined for 18 pressures and three sacks Sunday, but they could have had more. Both Parsons and Lawrence had their hands on Deshaun Watson two other times but allowed him to escape. It’s not a new issue; Dallas ranked tops last year in pressure, but only 14th in actual sacks. A sack results in an EPA impact that’s 25 times that of a simple pressure, so it will be important for Cowboys defenders to seal the deal far more often when they get into opposing backfields. NFL Week 1 best and worst coaching decisions: Andy Reid’s motion plays spark Chiefs :: The Athletic Link Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s weaponization of Micah Parsons was lauded as one of the NFL’s best coaching jobs of Week 1. The veteran coach smartly realized it’s less about his system and more about how he’ll maximize one of the league’s most feared players. Parsons lined up all over the field on Sunday, and everything about it was not only purposeful, it was hugely successful. What the Cowboys’ DeMarvion Overshown showed in Cleveland was worth a painful wait :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram Link If Overshown is as good as he displayed Sunday, he solves a major issue for the Cowboys that they could never fix last season. “I’ve been ready for some time now and they let me cut it loose [against Cleveland], and definitely thankful. Grateful. Blessed,” Overshown said. Whatever doubt may have existed that he was not “right,” he corrected in an NFL debut with 11 tackles, one sack, a tackle for loss, and two QB hits. Winner, Losers from Cowboys impressive victory over Cleveland :: Cowboys Wire Link Kendricks had a spectacular Cowboys debut, showing the former free agent still has plenty left to give. And Overshown finally got to show what had Cowboys coaches so excited before his injury last year. The Cowboys as a whole, though, struggled in the run game, and Ferguson’s knee injury- even if not as severe as feared- won’t help the offense in the short-term. NFL Week 2 Power Rankings 2024: How all 32 teams stack up :: ESPN Link The Cowboys climb four
Cowboys vs Saints Week 2: New Orleans opens the season with dominant division win
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Looking at this week’s opponent… the Saints had quite the opener themselves. NFC South power rankings: Saints set the early tone with a dominant division win – Jaleel Grandberry, WhoDatDish.com After one week, New Orleans sits atop their division. Entering each season, every team is hoping to win the Super Bowl. For that to happen, teams must make the playoffs, and the easiest way to do that is winning your respective division. Before a team can claim a league title, or be crowned a conference champion, they must navigate their four-team division. Considering the familiarity and rivals that are usually at play in division matchups, those games are usual very tough. That wasn’t the case for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, who dominated the Carolina Panthers. The NFC South as a whole is 2-2 after one week. With two teams opening against each other, having at least one loss was likely. 1. New Orleans Saints New Orleans was the surprise of Week 1, absolutely dominating the Panthers. The Saints delivered a performance that made all the analyst who counted them out rethink their predictions. Sure, Carolina is bad, but New Orleans looked really good. Offensively, the team did whatever they wanted to, thriving on the ground and through the air. Defensively, the Saints had an answer for everything, taking the ball away three different times. Even the special teams showed out, blocking a punt and nearly returning another. All in all, New Orleans looked like a complete football team that’s ready to compete, but the Saints must now be consistent. They’ll have a big test in Week 2, traveling to take on the Dallas Cowboys. Saints coach Dennis Allen still doesn’t care about outside noise after huge Week 1 win – Luke Johnson, NOLA.com Despite the win, Dennis Allen knows there’s still work to be done. A 47-10 dismantling of the division rival Carolina Panthers could’ve been seen as a huge clap back for the New Orleans Saints — especially after the team was dismissed by many as a non-factor in the leadup to the 2024 season. The Saints, however, are trying to keep things in perspective — and keep the outside noise on mute. “I told the team this today: There’s a lot of people outside the building that didn’t think we were capable of doing much. Those same people are probably saying a lot of great things about you today that were saying a lot of negative things about you before yesterday’s game,” coach Dennis Allen said. “So we try not to pay much attention to that, we’re trying to focus on what our job is, what we need to do, and how we get better. We know we’re going to have an extremely tough challenge this Sunday going up to Dallas.” Mouton: ‘4 Takeaways’ on Saints’ blowout win over Panthers in Week 1 – Doug Mouton, WWLTV.com There’s plenty of good to take away from New Orleans’ Week 1 win. NEW ORLEANS — Tropical Storm Francine in the Gulf makes this a very serious week in South Louisiana, but Sunday in the Superdome was a party. The truth is, New Orleans’ 37-point win in the opener probably says less about how great the Saints are and more about how terrible the Panthers are. The Saints beat a similarly terrible Patriots team early last season by 34. It’s a lopsided win over a bad team, but the truth is, lopsided wins don’t come easily in the NFL. 1) Focus Grupe Last season, then-rookie Blake Grupe missed seven field goals. Only two NFL kickers missed more. In today’s NFL, 81 percent as a kicker isn’t good enough. And the Saints brought in competition for Grupe in training camp. Irish Charlie Smyth has a cannon for a leg. But Grupe did enough to beat him out, and in Week 1 he rewarded head coach Dennis Allen with the best kicking performance of his life. Grupe went 4 for 4 in field goals – two of more than 50 yards, including his career high of 57. And he was 5 of 5 in extra points – 9 for 9 is a great start to the season. A confident, successful kicker is gonna be really important for a team that wants to run the ball and play defense. 3) Overwhelming Defense Speaking of defense, the Saints ‘D’ completely overwhelmed Bryce Young and the Panthers. One week into the NFL season, the Saints are second in the league in total defense and tied for the league lead in takeaways with three. Dennis Allen’s blitz package was brilliant. Defensive back Alontae Taylor came clean three times and he did not miss. Young had a terrible rookie season, and Sunday that quarterback rating was the worst of his now 17-game NFL career. Honestly, though, this isn’t really surprising. We expected the Saints to be good on defense. And in Week 1, they absolutely were. New Orleans Saints keep eye on Francine, prepare for possible preparation adjustments for road game against Dallas – John DeShazier, NewOrleansSaints.com The Saints hope to continue their hot start despite the harmful weather on the horizon. The New Orleans Saints are all too familiar with making plans around the possibility of hurricane impact, last having done so prior to the 2021 season. Then, the franchise moved football operations to Dallas-Fort Worth to prepare for the season opener before Hurricane Ida made landfall. The Saints played their home opener in Jacksonville, Fla., against Green Bay, then road games against Carolina and New England before returning to New Orleans to play the Giants in the Caesars Superdome in Week 4, on Oct. 3, 2021. Sunday’s game is on the road against the Cowboys, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. “Like everybody else in the city, we’re monitoring it,” Coach Dennis Allen said. “We’ll make plans accordingly. We’re going to meet (Monday) afternoon and see what kind of plans we need to make, and then we’ll go from there. I
‘What a kick’: Inside the sequence that scrapped 71-yard FG try by Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey
‘What a kick’: Inside the sequence that scrapped 71-yard FG try by Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey Todd Brock Officially speaking, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey connected on 4-of-4 field goal attempts in Cleveland- every single one from 40 yards or more- during the team’s 33-17 opening-day win over the Browns. Everyone knows he actually hit an NFL-record-tying fifth, too… except it didn’t count. But the kick the whole world will be talking about for a while is the one he didn’t get to even try. Special teams coordinator John Fassel went through all of it with reporters during a Monday press conference, admitting with a laugh that “the blood has boiled down a little bit” after a confusing series of events that saw Aubrey, the second-year phenom and former soccer star, drilling a 66-yard field goal… and then, for a brief but thrilling moment, prepping to try it again from an impossible-sounding 71 yards. Aubrey had already hit from 57 and 40, but his third attempt of the day came from 66 yards out, which would have tied the current NFL mark and matched a boot Aubrey made just last month during the Cowboys’ preseason game in Las Vegas. Dallas was already up 20-3 in the waning seconds of Sunday’s first half, but it took just the right sequence of events to put the offense in position for the attempt. “Coach asked me where we’ve got to get to to get in field goal range,” Fassel explained, “and I said, ‘Just across the 50.’” So when Jalen Tolbert was forced out of bounds at the Cleveland 48 with nine seconds remaining, the field goal unit hustled onto the field. But that’s when things went wonky. “What it looked like, to me, was two issues happened,” according to Fassel. “It looked like they got the quarterback ball off the field late, and they got the K-ball in late. Then once they got the K-ball set, one of the officials- when he saw a defensive substitution- stood over Trent [Sieg, Cowboys long snapper] and said, ‘Hold, hold.’ So Trent wasn’t able to address the ball to get ready to snap it. … So by the time we got over the ball and snapped it, we were one second late.” Aubrey’s ball sailed through the uprights, but the flag negated the kick. Loud complaints about the clock from Fassel and head coach Mike McCarthy fell on deaf ears (although the Cowboys could also have used one of their two remaining timeouts, even if they shouldn’t have needed to), and the line of scrimmage was moved back five yards. That first kick looked like it would have been good from 71. And for a tantalizing moment, it appeared as though the Cowboys were going to try it. McCarthy had already taken off his headset, he said, apparently content to turn Aubrey loose. “We actually considered it,” Fassel confessed. “If it was going the other way, we might have kicked it because there’s a little bit of wind at our back going the other way.” A quick check-in with Cowboys punter and holder Bryan Anger told Fassel it was going to be very close. Anger confirmed the 66-yarder was hit “about as clean as [Aubrey] can hit it” but then added, “I’m not sure it made it by more than five [yards].” The Browns already had a return man waiting under the goalpost in case the try came up short. And that got Fassel flashing back to a late September afternoon in 2008. Fassel was a first-year assistant special teams coach for the Raiders that season and saw head coach Lane Kiffin send out noted long-range specialist Sebastian Janikowski for an absurd 76-yard attempt at the end of the second quarter of a game against the Chargers. “I’ll never forget. Antonio Cromartie’s back there, and I’m like, ‘Oh, damn,’” Fassel remembered. “He catches the ball on the goal line, and we’re covering a kickoff with 10 offensive linemen against Antonio Cromartie.” Luckily, the return didn’t even reach the 30, but the Chargers were closer to a big return than Janikowski’s cannon shot had been to being successful. “That was, I think, the day before Lane Kiffin got fired,” Fassel noted. A similar play had once burned McCarthy even worse. As the 49ers’ offensive coordinator in 2005, McCarthy watched Bears return ace Nathan Vasher return a field goal attempt 108 yards for an end-of-half score. Fassel told reporters the risk of letting Cleveland back into the game with a dramatic touchdown going into intermission- and with the Browns set to receive the second-half kick- was simply too great. “Immediately, both of our memory banks went, ‘Ah, let’s go ahead and take the kicker off the field and put the ball back in the quarterback’s hands.” Aubrey was pulled, not even aware that he had been thisclose to being given a shot at the NFL record. “In the moment, I didn’t know it was from 71,” Aubrey said from his locker after the game. “I thought it was still 66, because I thought they called a timeout, not delay of game. So it’s hard to say how I would have reacted out there, but it’s probably the right call on the day in the conditions.” [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Winds in Cleveland on Sunday were near 15 miles per hour, with the stiffest breezes blowing into the northeast end of Huntington Bank Field, the side open to Lake Erie. That had definitely factored into Aubrey’s approaches on the day. “On the one end zone, the end zone where I got the 57 and the 66, there was kind of a big wind that picked up around the 20-yard-line going right to left and a little bit into the field. So it was tough,” he said. “In the warmup, the ball was moving a lot more than it normally does.” While the 29-year-old said he would “absolutely” like to try from 70 or beyond in a game someday, he conceded that Sunday
Julian Edelman believes Dak Prescott’s consistency is among his greatest qualities
Photo by Timothy Bouwer/ISI Photos/Getty Images Julian Edelman spoke very highly of Dak Prescott and how consistent the Dallas Cowboys quarterback is. When it comes to being a player on the Dallas Cowboys it is hardly an easy thing to navigate. The stage that playing for America’s Team provides is both a blessing and a curse in that the platform is massive, but that means so is the spotlight of criticism. There is perhaps no one who knows this better than quarterback Dak Prescott, and as an example consider the constant debate encircling what ultimately became his record-setting contract extension. While playing for the Cowboys is unique, there are other circumstances and situations that are similar in their own way. Consider what it must have been like playing for the New England Patriots throughout the dynastic run that they had with Tom Brady and all the rest. This thought has always been on my mind so I decided to put it to the test when I got a chance to speak with Julian Edelman on Monday thanks to our friends at Jameson. You can watch our conversation right below. Edelman referenced the spotlight that Dak has and how he very rarely says or does anything improper while in it when discussing how he views him. Edelman added that Dak’s consistency (in terms of individual success and the team winning so much in the regular season) is among his greatest qualities and that it is overlooked by people on a national level. Interestingly he added that Super Bowls don’t reflect everything when it comes to this discussion as there are many quarterbacks who have the misfortune of playing in certain eras. Consider all the people that lost to Tom Brady or that are currently losing to Patrick Mahomes. Prescott and the Cowboys have yet to reach the Super Bowl, but the point at large stands and is an interesting one. Here is more information on Julian’s partnership with Jameson. Pro American football continues to expand abroad, yet Dublin still hasn’t been officially added to the line-up. A college game was even played in Dublin a few weeks ago, and fans went crazy for it – but Jameson wants more! So, the iconic whiskey brand is teaming up with football great Julian Edelman to bring back Jameson Touchdown in Dublin: an unofficial call for a regular season pro American football game to be played in Dublin, Ireland. If a regular season pro American football game in Dublin is announced by April 1, 2025, Jameson is going to celebrate the momentous occasion. They’ll reward one lucky fan (over 21) and five friends the chance to win the Ultimate Dublin Experience – complete with flights to Dublin, 3-nights of hotel accommodations, a tour of the Jameson Distillery and a $3,000 gift card to be used towards tickets to the game. Learn more here: https://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/en-us/tdindublin-sweeps/ Our thanks to Julian and Jameson for the time!
Cowboys roundtable: Discussions on Dak Prescott’s contract, win over the Browns
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the Roundtable. This week we have David Howman, RJ Ochoa, Sean Martin, Brian Martin and Tom Ryle. Before the game commenced on Sunday, Jerry Jones finally put an end to the Dak Prescott contract dispute and finalized the deal. What are your thoughts on the record-setting deal, and of the timing on the deal? Moments before kickoff last Sunday in Cleveland the big news that surrounded Dallas all offseason finally came to a head. Yes, Jerry Jones and Dak Prescott finally put a stop to the speculation and made came to an agreement on a four-year deal. The deal came in as a $240 million extension, making this the most lucrative deal in NFL history. It came with a $80 million signing bonus and a 2024 base salary of $1.25 million. Again, there is a no trade and no franchise tag clause in the deal. Dak is now set to remain a Cowboy until March of 2029, by which time he’ll be 36 years of age, so in theory he could scrape one final deal before retirement. As it stands, Dak is the first player to average $60 million per year under his new contract, he also received the largest signing bonus in league history. Tom: This was almost entirely predictable, at least in retrospect. Prescott was the next QB up, and he got a record-setting deal, which is just the cost of doing business. It went down to the last possible moment, getting signed almost as Dak was going out for warmups. We all know how “deadlines make deals” in Dallas. This was more extreme than usual, but still entirely consistent with the way the Jones family does business. They make a lot of salary cap noise in the media before finding a way to come up with the space. Now that one is off the table, and we can leave contract talk alone for a while. And the first one who mentions a certain pass rusher who is next up gets a wedgie. Brian: While I was a little intrigued to see what Dallas’ QB situation would look like post-Dak, locking him up with a contract extension was definitely the right move by Jerry Jones and Company. I was a little surprised he received record-setting deal, but that just goes to show you what the Cowboys think of him and how hard his reps worked to get the deal done. As for the timing of the deal, better late than never and it seemed to give the entire team a little boost of energy against the Cleveland Browns in the season opener. RJ: It feels like we have all said everything that we need to say on this front. I am of the mindset that Dak is one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. If you want to pay a guy like that, there are certain things that are non-negotiable. It took the Cowboys, as it always does, a lot longer than necessary to come to terms with that. Thankfully they ultimately did. Sean: With this deal coming down so close to when Dak Prescott actually took the field and earned his first win of the season, it’s nice to be able to answer what was clearly the longest drawn out topic of the offseason with something related to the game. There just aren’t a ton of QBs that can recognize the blitz like Prescott did on his touchdown throw to Brandin Cooks, stand in, and deliver the throw. The Cowboys never looked back from that point and looked every bit the team that can compete for a high seed in the NFC again with Prescott as the focal point. Howman: It’s about time. After all that, all the posturing and delays and talk of pie, the Cowboys gave Dak Prescott exactly what he wanted all along: a record-setting deal with a ton of guaranteed money. On one hand, I’m glad they actually got it done, as I had resigned myself to the notion that it wouldn’t happen. On the other hand, it’s ridiculous that it took this long and would be considered malpractice by any other team that isn’t run by the owner and his son. My hope would be that they learn from this and are proactive with Micah Parsons, but I may be holding my breath until I’m blue in the face. The Cowboys put on a clinic in Ohio and stomped the Cleveland Browns into a 33-17 victory on the road. What are two big positive takeaways from the game that you saw? The season opening game couldn’t have gone any better for Dallas. The defensive display the Cowboys put on was so dominant that Cleveland fans could be heard booing from the stands for most of the second half. Dak came out to lead the offense and hit Brandin Cooks with a beautiful pass to take an early lead. Then Ezekiel Elliott reopened his Cowboys account scoring the next touchdown. The best play of the day came from KaVontae Turpin on a punt return. He had come close last year a few times to breaking a score and n special teams, this year he didn’t have to wait long. But the Cowboys defense stole the show completely demoralizing the Cleveland offense and put Deshaun Watson to shame, who could barely initiate drives. Tom: I’m glad I got to jump in first on this, because I get the low-hanging fruit. First is that Mike Zimmer has the defense roaring. While the Browns got some points in the second half, the Cowboys completely shut them down in the first, only allowing 56 yards and one first down before intermission. Micah Parsons was a force, but DeMarcus Lawrence was step for step with him while Eric Kendricks and DeMarvion Overshown were making tackles everywhere, and Kendricks and Trevon Diggs
Winner, Losers from Cowboys impressive victory over Cleveland
Winner, Losers from Cowboys impressive victory over Cleveland angeltorres Alas, the demise of the Cowboys may have been a bit oversold as evidenced by their impressive 33-17 win over the Browns in Cleveland. The entire defensive unit were winners, even though the final score had some window dressing attached. Dallas gave up fewer yards than a Browns defense elevated to elite levels last season. Just imagine when All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland returns for Dallas. While the victory is sweet, teams and players can always be better. A deep roster chock full of impact players still has a glaring need. An injury scare for a top offensive target had all of Cowboys Nation holding their breath. Special teams cannot be overstated and the unit in Dallas has plenty of dangerous weapons. Many more winners than losers as victory has a way of curing all. Winner: Eric Kendricks CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 08: Eric Kendricks #50 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after a tackle for loss in the first quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) The offseason talk had dissolved into, “They only signed Eric Kendricks in free agency.” That crowd may owe the veteran linebacker an apology after he collected two sacks, two QB hits, and one tackle for loss (TFL) in his Cowboys debut. His nine tackles were good for second-most on the day. He also intercepted Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson, thanks to a Micah Parsons pass deflection. Not bad for a linebacker taken from right under the nose of a conference rival during free agency. His addition to the team could have been seen as a bridge guy for the younger players but Kendricks showed he still has plenty left to give. Loser: Jake Ferguson Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) falls over Cleveland Browns linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) as he is tackled around his ankle during the third quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson had a modest day statistically, catching three passes for 15 yards. His last reception of the day turned into immediate concerns over his knee. Head coach Mike McCarthy takes extra precautions when it comes to the health of the rest of his players but the play Ferguson injured himself can happen at any time. It appears the Cowboys got lucky and Ferguson isn’t going to be out for the season; he’s actually angling to play this coming weekend against the New Orleans Saints although that seems a bit optimistic. Either way, watching him struggle to walk off the field put a damper on an otherwise good day for Dallas. Winner: DeMarvion Overshown Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (13) tackles Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (34) during the third quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was touted as having game-changing ability that could alter the narrative of a disappointing 2023 draft class. After losing his rookie season to a serious knee injury, viewers got to see how suddenly he flashes across the screen. The way he closed on Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson for his first NFL sack looked like someone shot him out of a cannon. That rare closing burst was something only star pass rusher Micah Parsons had shown but Dallas now has two of those guys. Overshown finished with a team-high 11 tackles, a sack, and two quarterback hits in his first NFL regular-season game. Loser: The Cowboys run game OXNARD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 8: Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer of the Dallas Cowboys paces the sideline during a joint practice with Los Angeles Rams at Cowboys training camp on August 8, 2024 in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Going up against what was the best defense in the league last season has a lot to do with the struggles of the Cowboys run game, but it was still disappointing nonetheless. Running back Ezekiel Elliott led the charge rushing 10 times for 40 yards and a score. As a whole, the team rushed for 102 total yards, 25 of those coming from three CeeDee Lamb rushes. Lamb is the Cowboys primary passing target. Head coach Mike McCarthy said the team will commit to their run game yet questions remain. The 57/43 percent split in favor of the passing game is a fairly well-balanced offense. Winner: Brandon Aubrey Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brandon Aubrey (17) kicks a field goal as punter Bryan Anger (5) holds the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey may be one of the most dangerous weapons throughout the entire NFL. Casually hitting what would have been a record-tying 66-yard field goal before being erased by a delay of game penalty is the type of range that could alter defensive strategies late in close games. This sounds ridiculous but the Dallas offense reaching midfield is now considered field goal range for them. The final stat line for Aubrey is just a ho-hum day of going four for four with makes from 57, 40, 50, and 46 yards, respectively. Like many others, there may have been thoughts about allowing him to attempt that 71-yard kick to end the half. Kudos to the other special teamers as well. Return specialist Kavonte Turpin returned a punt 60 yards for his first career touchdown on a return. Punter Bryan Anger averaged 49 yards an attempt on his five punts. Winner: DeMarcus Lawrence Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (90) lies on Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) after a sack during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images There were too many winners to name but defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence needed a
